Photo: YantsImages / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
For my money, Park Chan-wook is the most complete stylist working in cinema today. Plenty of directors can shock; almost none can make cruelty look this exquisitely composed. What fascinates me is the moral seriousness beneath the violence — his vengeance films ask whether revenge can ever restore a person, and his answer is devastating. The festival haul from Cannes to Venice only confirms what Oldboy made obvious two decades ago. I also love that he keeps evolving instead of imitating himself. Every frame feels deliberate, almost handwritten. He raised the ceiling for Korean cinema, and honestly, for everyone else too.
Overview
Park Chan-wook is a screenwriter from South Korea.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Park Chan-wook
- Name (Japanese)
- パク・チャヌク
- Reading
- ぱく・ちゃぬく
- Born
- August 23, 1963 (age 62)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rabbit
- Origin
- Seoul, South Korea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- screenwriter / film director / film producer / film critic / director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Sogang University
Awards & achievements
- 2005 Golden Lion
- 2004 Grand Jury Prize of the Venice Film Festival
- 2009 Jury Prize
- 2004 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix
- 2004 Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award
- 2007 Sitges Film Festival Best Screenplay award
- 2022 Cannes Best Director Award
- Grand Bell Awards
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Sympathy for Lady Vengeance | — | |
| Notable work | Oldboy | — | |
| Notable work | Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance | — | |
| Notable work | Joint Security Area | — |
6. Links
Screenwriter — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from South Korea →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.